Ireland to impose travel bans on two Israeli ministers, Martin says

Ireland is introducing travel bans on Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said. The move was confirmed as Martin spoke at the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Tivat, Montenegro, and comes amid growing pressure within Europe for action against the two officials. Martin said their actions and words "amount to a desire to see the elimination of Palestinians from Palestine".

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The ministers named are Israel's national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich. Jim O'Callaghan, Ireland's justice minister, is introducing the bans, according to Martin. The Taoiseach said he believes there should be further measures at European Union level and that Ireland will pursue that with other member states.

He added that their behaviour justifies sanctions at EU level, although he said it was unclear whether sufficient support could be secured across the bloc. The announcement places Ireland among a small group of European countries taking direct action against senior Israeli figures. France announced last month that it had banned Ben-Gvir from entering the country after a video in which he mocked activists seized by Israeli soldiers on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla.

Spain, France and Italy have also called on the European Union to sanction Ben-Gvir. Martin and foreign affairs minister Helen McEntee last month condemned the video footage shared by Ben-Gvir, indicating that the issue has already been under discussion in Dublin. The decision is significant because it adds to pressure on the European Union to consider a coordinated response.

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Martin said the best way to highlight Israel's actions was to secure agreement at EU level and to get the United States to apply pressure as well. That suggests Ireland sees the bans not only as a national measure, but as part of a wider diplomatic effort. It also reflects the limits of unilateral action, given Martin's acknowledgement that support across the EU may be difficult to assemble.

The row comes against the backdrop of wider European debate over how to respond to the war in Gaza and the conduct of Israeli ministers. Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have become focal points for criticism from governments that say their rhetoric and actions are incompatible with efforts to reduce tensions. Ireland's move follows public condemnation of Ben-Gvir's video and comes as several EU states push for sanctions, showing that the issue is moving from criticism to formal restrictions in some capitals.

Martin also addressed separate pressure on the Republic of Ireland soccer team over a possible boycott of its upcoming fixture with Israel. He said the matter lay with FIFA and that the Irish government did not have a role in it. What remains unclear is how quickly the travel bans will be implemented and whether other EU members will back a broader sanctions proposal.

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